Motor vehicle



Dec. 24, 1940.

H. B. LEWIS EI'AL MOTOR yEHIcLE Filed A rii 1951938 3 Sheefs-Sheet 3 ATTORN rs.

Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOTOR VEHICLESalsbury Corporation, Inglewood, poration of California Calif., a cor-Application April 19, 1938, Serial No. 202,868

7 Claims.

Our invention relates to motor vehicles and is particularly directed toimprovements in 9. vehicle of the self-propelled scooter type having asingle steering wheel in front and one or two rear wheels. The vehiclemay be'termed a motor glide.

A vehicle of the type involved is characterized by a relatively lowframe that supports the power unit of the vehicle and a seat for theoperator. The frame extends close to the ground to serve as a foot-restwhen the operator uses the seat and to serve as a running-board on whichthe operator may stand.

Certain features of our-invention are found in 1 the construction ofthis frame. Thus, one of ourobjects is to provide a rigid frame ofhollow or box-like construction fabricated from relatively light sheetmetal. A further object in mind is to extend such a frame around therearward wheel means of the vehicle with an inverted, casing or hood onthe frame forming a well for the wheel means. the frame a novel form ofparking stand operable from either side of the vehicle and adapted 5 tobe retracted automatically by forward movement of the. vehicle.

Other features of our invention relate to the arrangement of the powerunit and the seat with respect to the aforementioned frame. Our generalobject, in such regard, is to provide a, light, efllcient, and compactbody assembly of pleasing appearance and economical construction. Morespecifically, one of our objects is to mount the power unit on theaforementioned inverted casing or hood with a seat thereabove, and toprovide a conveniently removable hood or outer casing of pleasingappearance for enclosing the power unit and the inverted casing. Anotherobject is to provide such an arrangement in which the seat is supportedby such a. hood. By

providing a hood of the character indicated sup-- ported by the frame ina removable manner, we

are enabled to achieve certain further purposes,

- including the provision of a fuel tank accessible through the hoodupon removal of the seat, and

the provision of a fuel cut-off valve normally concealed by the seat.Another of these further purposes is to provide a tail-lightconstruction in which the lamp element is fixedly related to the frameinside the hood, with the lamp or colored light-transmitting meanscarried by the removable hood.

Since a vehicle of the scooter type, especially one having only a singlerear wheel, may occato sionally be permitted by accident to fall over Wealso propose to combine with on its side, one of our objects is toprovide a suitable bumper preferably of a shock-absorbing character onthe body to absorb the shock of falls. We propose to mount suchcushioning means on the hood of the vehicle in the form of a flexibleelongated resilient member extending at least partially around the hood.In the preferred form of the invention, our object is to extend thisresilient member around the rim of the hood below the seat to serve notonly as means 10 to absorb the shock of a fall, but also as means tocushion the metal rim of the hood for the sake of the driver.

Objects of our invention relating more specifically to the construction.of this bumper will'be apparent in our detailed description below.

One of the features of our invention is a novel fork construction forcarrying and steering the front wheel of the vehicle, our object beingto achieve a simple structure of pleasing appear- 20 ance andexceptional strength.

In a vehicle of the type involved here, certain problems are encounteredin designing a rear wheel mounting, especially if the rear wheel isdriven by a sprocket chain or belt. The wheel must'be. mounted in apositive manner for safe driving, yet must be readily removable for tirechanging, and must also be adjustable for tightening or loosening itsengagement withthe drive means. One of the objects of our invention isto meet these problems by a novel form of adjustable axle mounting.

Various other objects and advantages of our invention may be understoodby reference to the following description considered with theaccompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the motor vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the fork assembly with the rest of the vehicleindicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the motor vehicle with the hood shown insection to reveal the motor assembly encased therein;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the vehicle;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the rear of the motor vehicle with the seatremoved;

Fig. 7 is a rear view of the motor vehicle;

Fig. 8 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 7 with the hood andcertain parts shown in section;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail taken as indicated by the line 9-9 of Fig.8;

Fig. 10 is a section of Fig. 9 taken along the line |8--|U;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional detail taken as indicated by the lineof Fig. 7;

Fig. 12 is a section taken as indicated by the line |2-|2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a cross-section of the bumper member shown in Fig. 11;

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional detail showing the construction of ashut-off valve for the fuel line;

and

Fig. 15 is a detail showing the construction of a compression releaseassociated with the carburetor control.

The motor glide, shown with a front wheel 20 and a rear wheel 2|, has abody that includes a relatively low frame 22 extending between thewheels, an inner casing 23 that both forms a well 24 over the rearwardwheel 2| and supports above the wheel a motor assembly generallydesignated by the numeral 25, and, finally the body includes a hood 26that normally conceals the inner casing 23 and the motor assembly 25.

The fork assembly comprises two interconnected tubular members 21 thatare bent at the top-to form diverging handle-bars 28 and are spacedapart at the bottom to receive the ends of a front axle 29 secured bynuts 38. Mounted on the handle-bars 28 may be a motor-control lever 32connected with the power unit of the vehicle by a cable concealed in atube 33, a brakecontrol lever 34 for actuating a brake by means of acable concealed in a tube 35, and a button 36 for energizing a horn 31.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the two tubes 21 are joinedtogether near the handlebars by a connecting member 38, and are joinedtogether above the front wheel by a pair of transverse plates or hearingsupports 48, between which supports is secured one of the cooperatingbearing means for rotatably relating the fork assembly to the vehicleframe 22. In the particular construction chosen for illustration, thebearing member mounted between the supports 40 is a king bolt 4| that isjournalled in a suitable hearing means 42 built into the forward end ofthe frame 22. The two bearing supports 40 may also support a bracket 43,on which is mounted the horn 31 and a headlight 44. Below the bracket ahood-like fender or mud-guard 45 may be mounted over the wheel 20.

The frame 22 includes a forward inclined portion 46 that may be regardedas a dash, the drawings showing a. headlight switch 41 mounted thereon,and also includes an intermediate, substantially horizontal portion 48that serves as a foot-rest or running-board. The running-board 48 may becovered with a rubber mat 56 secured at the sides by metal strips 5|,and a protective layer 52 of similar material may cover adjacent areasof the hood 26. The frame 22 also includes two extensions 53 on eitherside of the rear wheel 2|, and may include a further extension orplatform 54 across the rear of the wheel.

A feature of the preferred form of our invention shown in the drawingsis a box-like construction for the frame 22 by virtue of which thestrength and rigidity required are achieved with lightness of weight andeconomy of material. The major portion of the frame consists of a topplate 55, formed with downwardly extending side flanges 56, and a lowerplate 51 having short flanges 58 for connection with the flanges 56 ofthe top plate, as may be understood by referring particularly to Fig. 5.For additional strength, one

or more web members 68 may interconnect the two plates centrally, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5. The top plate 55 of the frame 22 extends back ofthe wheel 2! to provide the platform 54 at the rear of the vehicle andis flanged upward to define the bottom of the well 24. To form portionsof the hollow extensions 53 of the frame 22, the top plate 55 is formedas shown in Fig. 10 with substantial upwardly extending flanges 6|. Thehollow extensions 53 are completed by the bottom plate 51, this bottomplate having vertical flanges 62- lying against the flanges 6|, as shownin Fig. 10, the two flanges being secured together. and to the innercasing 23. Since the maximum strength in the frame 22 is requiredbetween the front and rear wheels, it is not necessary to carry thehollow construction to the end of the rear platform 54, and we mayterminate the bottom plate 51 just back of the axis of the rear wheel 2I, the rear edge of the plate being shown at 63 in Fig. 4.

For holding the vehicle upright when it is stationary, any suitablestand may be employed. We prefer to provide a stand that will swingdownward and forward under the vehicle to lift the front end of theframe to an elevated position, so that the stand will be moved toretracted position automatically by forward movement of the vehicle.Such a stand, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, may comprise a rod 64 rotatablymounted on the bottom of the frame 22 by a pair of clips 65, the rodbeing bent to form two legs 66 and an intermediate offset or loop 61.The ends 68 of the legs 66 are bent to extend laterally beyond the sideedges of the frame 22, so that the operator may swing the stand downwardwith either foot against the yielding action of a pair of springs 10.When the stand is in its effective position, as indicated by the dottedlines in Fig. 3, the loop 61 rests against the bottom of the frame 22.

The rear wheel 2| has an inner axial cylinder 1| embracing a pair ofspaced bearings 12, by means of which the wheel is mounted on an axle13. The inner faces of the two bearings 12 engage annular shoulders 14formed in the cylinder 1 I, the outer face of one bearing engaging ashoulder formed by an enlargement 15 at one end of the axle, and theouter face of the other bearing engaging a retaining sleeve 16. Thesleeve 16 embraces the axle and is removabl'y secured thereon by nuts'|'|.in threaded engagement with the axle.

Integral with the wheel 2| is a brake drum l8 and a sprocket 88. A brakeband 8| that cooperates with the drum I8 is operated by a cable from thecontrol lever 34, as previously explained. As shdwn in Fig. 4, the tube35 containing this cable passes to the bottom of the frame 22 through anaperture 82, the cable then extending through a helical spring 83between the end of the tube 35 and the brake band 8|.

The wheel 2| is driven by a sprocket chain 84 that interconnects thesprocket and a smaller sprocket 85 on a drive shaft 86. One of thefeatures of our invention is a novel construction that permitsadjustment of the axle 13 for tightening or loosening the chain 84. Thisconstruction is characterized by the combination of two slotted platesin engagement with the axle, one of the plates having a slot aligned inthe general direction in which the chain is disposed, the other platehaving a slot intersecting the slot of the,

flrst plate, whereby movement of one of the plates relative to the othercauses the axle to shift along the first slot. The construction may beunderstood in detail by referring to Figs. 8, 9, and 10.

Iss

Substantially vertical slots 81 are cut, in the walls of the well 24 onopposite sides of the wheel 2I, the slots extending through the materialof the wall of the inner casing 23 and also through the material of theflanges 8I and'82, as best shown in Fig. 10. These slots, it will benoted, extend in the general direction of the chain, 'i. e., point inthe general direction of the drive shaft 86. Adjacent each of thevertical slots 81 and on the outside wall of the inner casing 23, isslidingly mounted a plate means 88 having an inclined slot 38intersecting the vertical slots 81. To prevent vertical movement of theplate means 88, it may have its lower edge resting on the top plate 55of the frame 22 and may have its top edge abutting a guide means 8| thatls secured, as by welding, to the exterior of the inner casing 23. Inthe preferred form of our invention the guide means 8| comprises twothicknesses of metal, the outer thickness 83 extending below the innerthickness 82 to provide a downwardly extending flange 84; and the platemeans 88 likewise comprises two similar thicknesses of metal with theinner thickness 88 extending above the outer thickness 85 to provide aflange 91 for sliding engagement with the flange 84.

At each end of the axle 13 a cap screw 88 threaded into the end of theaxle extends through slots 81 and 88 at the intersection of the slots,so that longitudinal movement of the plate means 88 causes the ends ofthe shaft to move upward or downward in alignment with the verticalslots 81. Thus, to loosen the drive chain 84, the plate means 88 on eachside of the vehicle is driven in one direction, and to tighten thechain, the plate means is shifted in the opposite direction. The axlemay be held at any desired position within the range of the slots 81 bysimply tightening down the two cap screws, suitable washers I88 beingemployedwith the cap screws. One of the cap screws 98 presses the wall,of the inner casing 23 against the enlarged end 15 of the axle. Sincethe threaded end of the axle is of lesser diameter, a nut I8I may bethreaded thereon to cooperate with the other cap screw. By virtue ofthis construction, the drive chain 84 may be readily slackened ortightened, or the wheel 2I may be dismounted in a convenient manner fortire changing.

The motor assembly 25 of the preferred form of our invention includes asingle cylinder internal combustion engine I82 from which extends theaforementioned drive shaft 88. A suitable fan I83 is shown on the end ofthe drive shaft. An exhaust pipe I84 extends downward from the enginethrough the well 24 and terminates in a muffler portion I85 anchored bya bolt I86 (Fig. 4). At one side of the engine, concealed in a casingI81, are a fly-wheel and magneto (not shown), the fly-wheel beingequipped with fan blades in a well known manner to help cool the motorassembly. The carburetor I88 of the engine is controlled, as previouslynoted, by the lever 32 on one of the handle-bars, Fig. 3 showing aportion II8 of the cable and a small bell-crank III included in thecontrol linkage.

Extending upward from one side of the inner casing 23 is a plate I I2apertured to clear the fan I83, the plate being bent over to form ashelf I I3 and a rear flange H4. The purpose of the flange I I4 is tocarry a lamp H5 in a reflector I I8 for the tail-light of the vehicle.The shelf H3 is supported by two rearward rods H1 and H8 extendingupward from the inner casing 23, and

by a third forward rod I28 that is anchored in the bottom of the frame22. as indicated in Fig. 4. The rods I I1 and I28 have threaded endsextending upward above the shelf 3 at opposite sides of a fuel tank I22that is mounted on the shelf.

The fuel tank is provided with a flll closure I23 and a valve I24 thatmay be manipulated to cut off the fuel flow from the tank to thecarburetor I88. The valve I24.may be in the form of a needle valve, asindicated by Fig. 14. The valve includes a stem I25 with a knurled headI25, the stem extending through a gland I21 at the top 'of the tank andbeing threaded into a fltting I28 at the bottom of the tank. The fittingI 28 serves as a tank outlet draining into a fuel pipe I 28 and providesa tapered seat for the tapered end of the valve stem.

The previously mentioned hood 28 is of box-like construction with anopen bottom that normally rests on the frame 22 in engagement withspaced flanges I35 formed in the top plate 55 of the frame 22, one ofthe flanges being indicated in- Fig. 3. The hood extends forward fromthe inner casing 23 providing an enclosed space on the the rods H1 andI28 extend through suitable apertures in the top I38 of the hood toreceive thumb-nuts I43 for engaging the top of the.hood, thereby toanchor the hood in assembled position. It will be noted in Fig. 6 thatthe top of the hood is provided with an aperture I44 for access to theflll closure I23 and a second aperture I45 providing access to the fuelvalve I24. When the seat MI is in position it conceals the thumbscrewsI43, the flll closure I23, and the fuel valve I24. The hood will, ofcourse, be suitably apertured to permit ventilation'of the motorassembly, the .drawings showing perforations I45 and a screened openingI41 for such purpose. The hood will also be provided with an opening I48normally registering with the reflector H6 for passage of light from thelamp I I 5, the hood carrying a colored lens I 58 in the path of thelight.

Since a two-wheel vehicle is apt to be injured by falling over sidewise,some type of bumper means is desirable for absorbing the impact of thevehicle body with the ground. In the preferred form of vides anoutwardly extending metal rim flange I52v which is engaged by a slot I53of the bumper memher. other resilient material, and is of hollowconstruction to receive a flexible retaining means such as a wire. I54.The two ends of the bumper are separated by a gap at the rear of thehood, as indicated by Fig. 11. Any'convenient means may be employed forreleasably anchoringthe two ends of the wire I54 to'the hood in thisgap. For example, sheet metal clips I55 may be notched out to providesaddles for receiving the wire I54, the wire I54 being held against theclips by small wire loops I56. The two ends of the wire I54-are ad- Thebumper member is made of rubber, or'

justably anchored by nuts I51 threaded on the spaced flanges I35.

Finally, an ornamental member I58 may be bolted to the back of the hood,the ornamental member having an upper portion I60 concealing the,gap atthe ends of the bumper, an intermediate portion I6I for holding the lensI50, and a lower portion I 62 formed as a bracket for a license plate.The upper portion I60 of the ornamental member may serve not only asmeans-for releasable engagement by the seat latch I42, as indicated bythe drawings, but also as a convenient handhold for lifting the machine.

In the preferred form of our invention, a compression release isinterlocked with the carburetor control-in a manner, for example,indicated in Fig. 15. The head I65 of the engine cylinder has a boss I61in which is formed a passage I68 terminating in a tapered valve seatI10. A poppet valve member I1I, having a stem I12 extending through theboss I61, is urged by a suitable spring I13 toward closed position. Theouter end of the stem I12 is in a position to be engaged by an arm I14of the previously mentioned bell-crank I I I that forms a link in thethrottle-control mechaiism. The bell-crank is pivoted at I15 and isacted upon bya helical spring I11 that tends to move the bell-crank to aposition to compress the spring I13, the spring I11 being the strongerof the two springs. The previously mentioned cable I III from thehandle-bar control is adjustably connected to the bell-crank I I I by ascrew I18, the surplus portion I19 of the cable being convenientlyextendedinto the spring III. The bell-crank III is operativel-yconnected with the carburetor throttle by means including a light rodI80.

In the inoperative positions of the various parts when no pressure isexerted against the control lever 32 on the handle-bar, the bell-crankIII is in the position indicated by full lines in Fig. 15, the arm I14holding the compression-release valve open. As soon as the operatorpresses the control lever 32 to open the throttle of the carburetor, thebell-crank III is moved toward the dotted line position of Fig. 5,releasing the poppet valve to be closed by action of the spring I13.This arrangement permits the operator to start the engine by firstpushing the vehicle forward with the compression-release valve openand'then, after the fly-wheel has gainedmomentum, simultaneously closingthe compression-release valve and introducing fuel into the engine bysimply pressing the control lever 32.

Several advantages flow from the special form of hood 26 used in theform of our invention previously described. It should be borne in mindthat the utility of this device depends, to a large measure, oncheapness of construction and compactness. As will be seen from thedrawings, the hood 26 rests entirely upon the frame 22 on the As will beseen from the drawings, it is in effect a box enclosing the mechanism,and upon raising it vertically it can be taken off without in any wayinterfering with the mechanism, so that the mechanism can be operatedfor test or inspection with the hood removed. The

hood is secured in placeby the thumb-nuts I43 which are on top of thehood and readily accessible when the cushion MI is removed.

The hood, however, serves a dual purpose in that it not only provides anenclosure for the mechanisin, but also provides a seat for the user. Byso using the hood as a user support, not only is a very firm and rigidseat provided, but the vehicle is made very compact. Its width isincreased by only two thicknesses of thin metal plus a little clearanceand its other dimensions need not be materially increased to provide aseat support.

We have described specific embodiments of the various features of ourinvention in detail for the purpose -of disclosure and to illustrate theprinciples involved in our inventive concept. These specific embodimentswill suggest to those skilled in the art various changes andmodifications that do not depart from the spirit of the invention. Wereserve the right to all such changes and modifications that fall withinthe scope of our appended claims.

We claim as our invention: 7

1. In a motor vehicle, the combination of: a frame having its uppersurface parallel to the ground when the vehicle is in an uprightposition; a rear wheel having its axis parallel to said surface; drivingmeans including a motor supported on said frame above said wheel; a hoodwholly supported on and detachably secured to said frame and enclosing aportion of said wheel and all of said driving means and so shaped as tobe vertically removable without interfering in any way with theoperation of the other parts of said vehicle; and a cushion upon whichthe operator may sit resting upon the top of said hood and closing anopening through which an operator may have access to said fuel tank.

' jecting above said frame; a hood resting on said frame and enclosingsaid mechanism, said hood being of sufficient strength and so formed asto support the weight of the user of said vehicle; a cushion oruser-supporting member supported by said hood and closing an opening inthe top of said hood, said opening being of sufllcient size and soplaced that the user may have access to said mechanism through saidopening; and means for rigidly securing the hood in place over saidmechanism.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combination of: a frame; mechanism assistingin driving said vehicle,'the weight of said mechanism being supported onsaid frame and said mechanism projecting above said frame; a hoodresting on said frame and enclosing said mechanism, said hood being ofsufficient strength and so formed as to support the weight of the userof said vehicle; a cushion or user-supporting member supported by saidhood and closing an opening in the top of said hood, said opening beingof sufficient size and so placed that the user may have access to saidmechanism through said opening; a gasoline tank supported rigidly withrelation to said mechanism inside said hood when the hood is rigidlysecured in place, said gasoline tank having a filling opening accessibleto the user through said opening when the'hood is so secured; and meansfor rigidly securing the hood in place over said mechanism.

4. In a motor vehicle, the combination of: a frame; an axle upon which aportion of the weight of said frame and parts carried thereby issupported; a driving wheel on said axle; an engine whose weight issupported by said frame, said engine projecting above said frame; amechanism through which said engine drives said wheel, the weight ofsaid mechanism being supported by said frame and said mechanismprojecting above said frame; a hood resting upon and supported by saidframe and enclosing said engine and mechanism;

manually releasable u means for securing said hood to said frame in aposition enclosing said engine and mechanism; and a driver's seatsupported by and removable with said hood.

5. In a motor vehicle, the combination of: a frame; an engine the weightof which is supported by said frame and which. projects above saidframe; mechanism through which said engine drives said vehicle, theweight of said mechanism being supported by said frame and saidmechanism projecting above said frame; a hood resting upon and supportedby said frame, said hood enclosing said engine and mechanism; manuallyreleasable means for securing said hood to said frame in said positionenclosing said engine and said mechanism; and a drivers seat supportedby and removable with said hood.

6. In a motor vehicle, the combination of a frame; an engine the weightof which is supported by said frame and which projects above said frame;mechanism through which said engine drives said vehicle, the weight ofsaid mechanism being supported by said frame and said mechanismprojecting above said frame; a hood resting upon and supported bysaidframe, saidhood enclosing said engine and mechanism; manuallyreleasable means for securing said hood to said frame in said positionenclosing said en.- gine and said mechanism; a gasoline tank supportedinside said hood when said hood is so secured in said enclosingposition; means through which gasoline from said tank may be conductedto said engine; and a drivers seat supported by and removable with saidhood.

7. In a motor vehicle, the combination of: a frame; an engine the weightof which is supported by said frame and which projects above said frame;mechanism through which said engine drives said vehicle, the weight ofsaid mechanism being supported by said frame and said mechanismprojecting above said frame; a hood resting upon and supported by saidframe, said hood enclosing said engine and mechanism; manuallyreleasablemeans for securing said hood to said frame in said position enclosingsaid engine and said mechanism; a gasoline tank supported inside saidhood when said hood is so secured in said enclosing position; meansthrough which gasoline from said tank may be conducted to said engine;means, outside said hood and accessible to the user of the vehicle whensaid hood is so secured in said enclosing position, for controlling theflow of said gasoline into said engine; and a driver's seat supported byand removable with said hood.

HOWARD B. LEWIS. BRUCE BURNS. AUSTIN E. ELMORE. F.SA1SBURY.

